Starting in 1993, Palestinian islamist terror groups started copying Hezbollah’s new tactic of suicide bombings. It peaked during the Second Intifada (2000–2005), when hundreds of civilians were killed in such heinous attacks and thousands were wounded.
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While conventional bombings had been ongoing for decades, suicide bombings emerged in the 1990s - driven by groups like Hamas and PIJ opposing peace talks.
Suicide bombers killed 735 Israelis and wounded 4,554 between 1994 and 2005, fueling cycles of violence.
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Mehola Junction Bombing (Apr 16, 1993)
A Hamas suicide bomber detonated a car bomb at Mehola Junction, injuring 21 and killing, ironically, a Palestinian. This first suicide attack signaled a new tactic to disrupt peace talks, sowing fear and division.
Thread on the Islamist roots of the violence in Gaza. How Hamas developed out of the Muslim Brotherhood and joined forces with other Islamist terrorist organization the wage Holy War.
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Hamas, founded in 1987, emerged as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement started in Egypt in 1928.
Its goal: establish an Islamic state in historic Palestine, rejecting Israel’s existence.
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The Muslim Brotherhood’s influence in Palestine dates to the 1940s, focusing on social services and religious education.
By the 1970s, it gained traction in Gaza through charities and mosques, setting the stage for Hamas.
Thread on quotes and positions taken by Palestinian leaders and organizations over the past decades, negating a two-state solution and voicing the wish to eradicate Israel through violence.
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Hamas Charter (1988), Art. 13: “There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are a waste of time.”
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Hamas Charter (1988), Art. 11: “The land of Palestine is an Islamic waqf… It is forbidden to give up any part of it.”
Thread: The History of Palestinian Rejections of Statehood Offers – A Pattern of Maximalism Over Peace
The Palestinians have been offered their own state numerous times but have rejected it.
Why? Because accepting would mean recognizing Israel's existence and committing to a two-state solution. Instead, leaders pursued the goal of eradicating Israel entirely.
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Starting early: In 1937, the British Peel Commission proposed partitioning Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.
The Jewish side accepted; Arab leaders rejected it outright, refusing any Jewish sovereignty. This set a pattern of rejectionism to avoid recognizing a Jewish state.
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Fast forward to 1947: The UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181) offered to divide Palestine into independent Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem internationalized.
The Jews accepted; Palestinian Arabs and surrounding Arab states rejected it, leading to war in 1948. Goal? No Israel at all.
For decades, Palestinian radicals have wrecked havoc across the Middle East.
They have no allies. Their accomplices and benefactors always pay a high price for tolerating and appeasing them.
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In Jordan: The PLO's growing presence in the late 1960s led to tensions with King Hussein.
By 1970, PLO fedayeen controlled parts of Amman, acting as a "state within a state," challenging Jordanian sovereignty. This culminated in the Dawson's Field hijackings.
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The conflict escalated into Black September 1970, when PLO forces attempted to overthrow the monarchy.
Fighting resulted in thousands dead, and the PLO was expelled by July 1971.
Thread: Historical Control of Gaza & the West Bank 🧵
These areas have never been part of an independent Palestinian state.
In recent times, they have been controlled by the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Jordan and Israel (1/20)
The Ottoman Empire ruled Gaza and the West Bank from 1517 to 1917.
These areas were part of broader administrative regions, with no distinct Palestinian national identity or statehood during this period.
(2/20)
After WWI, the British Mandate (1920–1948) governed Palestine, including Gaza and the West Bank.
The Mandate was established by the League of Nations to prepare the region for self-governance, but the Arab locals never accepted a two state solution (3/20)